Graham Nelson
Graham A. Nelson (born 1968) is an English poet and mathematician, and the creator of the Inform design system for creating interactive fiction (IF) games. Life Nelson studied at Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he received an undergraduate degree; and at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he received a doctorate. He is a a fellow and a lecturer in pure mathematics at St Anne's College, Oxford.Academic Profile: Dr. Graham Nelson, St. Anne's College, Oxford. Web, Dec. 29, 2013. He co-edited Oxford Poetry he was managing editor of Legenda, the imprint of the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA)."New Partners for Oxford University's Legenda Imprint", 2004-10-21. Modern Humanities Research Association. Accessed 2007-04-19 Nelson is the author of the Inform Designer's Manual, which includes one of the first published works of interactive fiction theory, an essay titled "The Craft of Adventure". He has also written several important essays on interactive fiction in the field. He is one of a very small number of individuals (such as Andrew Plotkin) who are celebrated both for their creative and their technical contributions to the homebrew IF scene. He has also authored several IF games, including the acclaimed Curses (1993) and Jigsaw (1995), using the experience of writing Curses in particular to expand the range of verbs that Inform is capable of understanding. He has been described by the ''New York Times'''' as "ornately literate." Recognition In 1997 Nelson received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors for his poetry.Eric Gregory Trust Fund Awards (winners), Society of Authors. Accessed 2007-04-19. Publications Poetry *''Singularities (by Polly Clark, Tim Kendall, & Graham Nelson). Oxford, UK: Hubble Press, 1997. Non-fiction *''The Inform Designer's Manual''. St. Charles, IL: Interactive Fiction Library, 2001. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Graham A. Nelson, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 29, 2013. Games Written * Curses (1993, Z-code) * Deja Vu (1993, Z-code) * Balances (1994, Z-code) * Jigsaw (1995, Z-code) * The Meteor, The Stone, And A Long Glass Of Sherbet (as "Angela M. Horns", 1996, Z-code), for IF Comp 1996 (1st place). Was a finalist for Best Individual Puzzle, Best Puzzles, Best Writing, and Best Game at the XYZZY Awards 1996 * The Tempest (1997, Z-code), for IF Comp 1997 (25th place). Winner of Best Use of Medium at the XYZZY Awards 1997. * Time and Dwarves (1998, Inform source code). Demo code for Inform programmers. * The Reliques of Tolti-Aph (2006, Z-code) Ported * Adventure * Adventureland * Crobe * Fyleet * Quest for the Sangraal Other works * (1995) "The Craft of the Adventure" (2nd ed) * (1997) Singularities, with Polly Clark and Tim Kendall. Oxford: Hubble Press. ISBN 0-9531989-0-1. Anthology of poetry * (2001) [http://www.inform-fiction.org/manual/about_dm4.html Inform Designers Manual] (4th ed), with Gareth Rees. Placet Solutions, ISBN 0-9713119-0-0 See also *List of British poets References External links * Homepage of Graham Nelson * The Inform homepage * Graham Nelson's entry in Baf's Guide to IF archive * [http://www.gnelson.demon.co.uk/oxpoetry/index.html Nelson's Index to Oxford Poetry] * IFWiki's page for Graham Nelson Category:1968 births Category:Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Category:English mathematicians Category:English poets Category:Fellows of St Anne's College, Oxford Category:Video game programmers Category:Interactive fiction writers Category:Living people